Michigan’s swing-seat Democrat deleted posts cheering “hurry up and die” for Joe Manchin—and now claims those views are gone.
Story Snapshot
- CNN reported William Lawrence scrubbed hundreds of posts backing police and prison abolition, nationalizing oil, and more.
- Semafor says he deleted them before running, saying they could be “misinterpreted”.
- Punchbowl News noted he walked back “defund the police” after entering the race.
- Critics used Wayback Machine archives to surface deleted content and attack his credibility.
The Deleted Record That Will Not Stay Deleted
CNN reported that Democratic House nominee William Lawrence removed hundreds of old social media posts, including support for police and prison abolition, calls to nationalize fossil fuel companies to halt production, attacks on moderate Democrats, a push to “Abolish the Senate,” and harsh shots at the nuclear family model. The outlet highlighted a now-deleted outburst aimed at Senator Joe Manchin that said, “f**k you.. hurry up and die”. That language would be toxic in any district. In a Michigan swing seat, it is political cyanide.
BREAKING: Michigan Democrat William Lawrence House nominee deleted hundreds of old posts calling to abolish police and prisons and fundamentally overhaul the Constitution.
He also attacked the nuclear family as “violent” and called for “a world of free and open migration.” pic.twitter.com/rTLBGHSNoB
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) September 4, 2026
Semafor reported Lawrence deleted the posts before his run, saying they could have been “misinterpreted”. That defense tries to turn the fight from substance to framing. But substance is the point. Among the removed items, Lawrence backed “defund the police” in 2020 and again in 2021, even as crime rose nationwide. Punchbowl News added that once he entered the race, he walked those statements back, a shift that looks more like triangulation than growth under pressure.
What Lawrence Now Says—and What Voters Will Hear
Lawrence says he disagrees today with “some things” he posted in the past and does not support defunding police or open borders, according to CNN’s summary of his response. That is a smart pivot. Voters value order, safety, and borders because families and small businesses need predictability. The open question is not whether minds can change. The question is whether the change is sincere or only timed to the calendar. On timing, critics have the cleaner case.
The Detroit News reported that opponents recovered the posts through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, which means the scrubs left footprints that anyone can follow. That matters. When words live in an archive, they stop being a “smear” and start being a record. The archive does not argue intent. It shows text, dates, and tone. In American politics, that is enough to shape trust. Voters do not need a thesis on context. They read, and they judge.
How This Fits the Modern Playbook
Researchers who track political deletion say removals are common, often for typos or personal details. But the small share that resurfaces tends to be the sharp, ideological stuff—the kind that maps to a campaign’s weakest flank. That pattern is visible here. When a candidate deletes calls to defund police, erase borders, or abolish a chamber of Congress, it invites a simple story line: erase the past, soften the present, and hope the middle will not notice. That story line works because it feels like common sense.
🚨BREAKING: William Lawrence, a Democrat running for Congress in Michigan, has deleted hundreds of social media posts advocating police and prison abolition, nationalizing fossil-fuel companies, and dismantling the Senate, according to CNN.
The deleted posts also included… pic.twitter.com/CV3vxPcjod
— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) September 4, 2026
Semafor’s “misinterpreted” framing gives Lawrence a lane to argue nuance. Nuance will not drive turnout in a swing district. Safety and stability will. On that ground, opponents do not need to prove he still believes the old posts. They only need to show he believed them long enough to say them, and that he hit delete when ambition called. That is a character test, not a policy quiz. It goes to trust, which is hard to regain once voters smell spin.
Bottom Line For A Swing District
Punchbowl News already tagged Lawrence’s deletions as a headache for Democrats in Michigan. CNN put the most radioactive lines in one place for every attack ad writer to see. The archive keeps the receipts. Lawrence can keep saying he changed his mind. Voters can decide whether he changed his mind, or only his messages. On crime, borders, family, and basic respect for life, most Americans draw clear lines. Candidates who erase lines rarely get to redraw them.
Sources:
twitchy.com, cnn.com, semafor.com, detroitnews.com, x.com
